A Pop-Culture Podcast

Weekend Watch – 11/18/2016

Welcome to the Weekend Watch. Where we try to point you towards the best ways to spend your viewing time (or, at least, steer you clear of the garbage).

Movies

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Loren: I honestly forgot this was coming out this weekend. I wonder if it’s a good thing that they didn’t have too aggressive of a marketing campaign. That said this looks pretty good. If I get a chance I’ll catch it in the theater but it’s not 100% necessary.

RDT: I once said that if I ever had twin boys I would name them Fred and George. So, yeah, I’m a bit of a Potter fan. Count me in, probably this weekend.

Rick: Word on the street is they’re going to make five of these. Call me skeptical, but we all got burned before by Warner Bros. stretching one tiny book into more movies than necessary. I’ll probably check this out eventually, but I’m not super gung ho for it.

Bleed for This

Loren: I said it earlier this year when Hands of Stone came out that boxing movies aren’t my thing. Couple that with Miles Teller not really being my thing and I think I’ll pass. Too bad, it looks interesting, just not enough to keep me in.

RDT: Like Rick below, I like a good boxing movie. Not sure this is a good one, as I don’t love Mr. Teller. But I’m sure I’ll check it out eventually.

Rick: I’m a mark for boxing movies, so this is a no-brainer. I’m hoping it fares better than this year’s other boxing flick, Hands of Stone, which was in theaters for about half a second before it vanished.

Jen: I wish this didn’t give me a chronic case of the “mehs” but here we are.

The Edge of Seventeen

Loren: I chuckled at some of the parts of this trailer, that’s a good sign. Woody Harrelson looks like the best part of this. It’ll go into the Netflix queue when it hits.

RDT: I’m a sucker for a good teen movie. Seems like it’s been awhile since we’ve had one. This could be it. I liked the trailer enough to eventually check it out, that’s for sure.

Rick: I like this cast and it looks fun. Might not catch it in theaters but definitely will down the line.

Jen: I laughed most of the way through this trailer. I’ll hold off till streaming but I’m really looking forward to checking this one out.

Manchester By the Sea

Loren: Who knew Casey Affleck was going to become one of the best actors of his generation? This isn’t normally my cup of tea but that trailer is wicked effective (Boston!), I might check this one out when it hits cable/streaming.

RDT: I am a fan of both brothers Affleck. Like Rick said below, yeah, it feels a little standard, but this cast and their potential performances could elevate it to something more. If reviews are good, I’m in.

Rick: The trailer feels a bit by-the-numbers, but my hope is that there’s more going on than what’s on display. Lonnergan is talented and so is his cast. I’ll give this a shot.

Jen: RDT, reviews are great, currently 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. This looks heartbreaking, but the accents are acceptable so I may give it a whirl.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

Loren: I don’t know, Ang Lee has never been my favorite, though I do like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This is probably different from that. Also, they made the fatal flaw of putting “introducing” before Joe Alwynn’s name cursing him forever.

RDT: I just have no desire to see this movie. I don’t care about the technical if the movie’s not good. And the trailer just didn’t grab me.

Rick: Ang Lee is an exceptional filmmaker, but I got tired of hearing about how this movie is some kind of second coming a few months ago. All the buildup is making me less likely to take the plunge. On a technical note: this is screening in standard digital projection [24fps] as well High Frame Rate (HFR) 3D [120fps], which was its original shooting format. HFR’s purpose is to create a more realistic “you are there” experience for the audience. If that’s your bag, and can actually watch 3D, then it’s worth tracking down a theater projecting that format.

Jen: I love Ang Lee, but this feels more like it was a technical experiment than a film. It seems like if you’re not going to see it as Rick described above, then it might not be worth seeing at all?

Nocturnal Animals (Limited)

Loren: What just happened? I feel like I blacked out a little bit there. It’s gorgeous but I’m so confused. I think I want to see this but I can’t be sure.

Jen: This looks fantastic. Literally, the look of this film is gorgeous. I have no idea what’s happening, but I really want to know!

The Eyes of My Mother (Limited)

Loren: Noooooope. I don’t usually get phased by horror movies but this trailer was too uncomfortable to sit through. I won’t make it 2 hours.

RDT: Based on Loren’s reaction alone, I see no need to even watch the trailer.

Rick: (see my entry for Nocturnal Animals)

Jen: I’ve got a bit too much ommetaphobia for this one I think.

I Am Not Madame Bovary (Limited)

Loren: Um, is the whole movie shown in that circle? That is very distracting.

RDT: Too artsy, not enough fartsy. Though I do like saying “Fan Bingbing.” Fan. Bingbing.

Rick: Fan Bingbing has been a star in China for years and shows no sign of slowing down. This looks wonderfully odd and sardonic. Sign me up.

Jen: What Loren said.

Officer Downe (Limited)

Loren: Well that looks wonderfully absurd. Kim Coates can chew scenery with the best of them. This should prove to be a fun experience.

RDT: Dear Rick, when will this screen at the Whitsett Theater?

Rick: This looks like a movie from Troma’s heyday with a bigger budget. I’m pretty okay with that.

Jen: Color me intrigued.

Blood on the Mountain (Limited)

Loren: Sadly I don’t see this one getting added to the doc doc™. It’s timely and a tragedy but the narrative the filmmakers went with didn’t capture my attention like I wished it had

RDT: Too many documentaries.

Rick: With France and many other nations banning coal production in the coming years, this is about as topical as it gets. I’m curious, but I have a feeling this will drop off my radar.

Jen: This is topical with coal being a big issue in the election but I can’t muster enough interest to add this to my list.

The Anthropologist (Limited)

Loren: Though this is a terrible trailer the narrative is there. This’ll go on the doc doc™ but probably closer to the bottom.

RDT: Also, too many documentaries.

Rick: Another documentary about an important topic with a terrible trailer. Sheesh. I understand these films are low budget, but if your one piece of marketing is bad it’s going to be hard to get people excited. Sorry. Rant over. I’ll probably check this out on streaming in a few months.

Jen: Wait, is climate change a thing you guys? For real?

TV/Netflix/Blu-Ray

Paranoid – Season 1 (Netflix)

Loren: Like RDT says below I just have too many TV shows to keep up with. I will say that the Brits are getting pretty damn good at making crime dramas though. I think I’ll finish Luther instead however.

RDT: Too many tv shows.

Rick: The only crime shows I tend to watch anymore hail from the UK, so I’ll likely get around to this once I finish the last series of The Fall. I do have one question, though: Who picked the music for the tail end of that trailer? It’s godawful.

Jen: I bet my parents will watch this. British police dramas are sort of their thing. I’ll await their opinion before I dig in.

Lovesick [formally Scrotal Recall] – Season 2(Netflix)

Loren: I didn’t even finish this trailer. I know I say that Netflix rarely misses but I forget about their comedy efforts. Those aren’t so hot. I’m out.

RDT: Changing the name of this is the smartest thing they did. Never saw season 1 though, so I’ll have to catch up first.